Laudnõududeks

Laudnõududeks is an Estonian grammatical form derived from the noun laudnõud, which denotes tableware or dining ware. The word represents the translative plural, indicating a change of state or designation, roughly corresponding to “as tableware” or “into tableware” in English.

In Estonian grammar, the translative case marks transformation, role, or function. For plural nouns whose stem ends in -ud, the translative plural takes the suffix -udeks. Therefore, laudnõududeks is formed from laudnõud with the plural translative suffix. This form is primarily encountered in linguistic descriptions, dictionaries, and occasional academic or pedagogical contexts illustrating noun inflection, rather than in everyday speech.

Etymology and composition: laudnõududeks is built from the compound laudanõud (tableware), itself a combination of laua (table) and nõud (dishes). The plural translative suffix -udeks is added to express “as tableware” or “into tableware” for the plural stem.

Usage and frequency: laudnõududeks is a specialized linguistic term. It is not commonly used in ordinary conversation but appears in grammar references, linguistic analyses, and examples intended to demonstrate how Estonian handles plural translative forms of compound nouns related to objects like tableware.

See also: laudnõud, translative case, Estonian grammar, noun inflection, language examples.